Offence powers UVic to win over Westshore

VICTORIA—The UVic Vikes rode a strong offensive performance from key veterans to a 46-29 victory over Westshore on September 23. The win was an important one for the Vikes, who now have one win and one loss on the season.

“I am particularly happy with the offence. I though our pace was good, though we let off a little bit towards the end,” said Vikes assistant coach Rick Farrally. “We didn’t finish the way I wanted to despite the late try.”

Fourth-year Flanker Isaac Kaay had a big day offensively for the Vikes, leading the team with four tries.Fergus Hall added three converts, while Joe Erlic scored two tries in the second half.

Also scoring for the Vikes were Crosby Stewart and Jonathon Lorimer, who scored one try each.

The Vikes came out firing on all cylinders to start the game. Bolstered by the crowd’s support in their home opener, they leapt out to a 24-7 lead by half time.

The teams traded scores in the second half, with both the Vikes and Westshore scoring four tries each.

The Vikes produced a majority of their offence through some outstanding passing. Most of the tries they scored were the result of long spells of possession during which the team was able to wear down the Westshore defence and then exploit a hole when they found it.

One of the more impressive scores on the day came from fourth-year Winger Crosby Stewart. Stewart received the ball deep in his own half and was able burst through the Westshore defence and go end-to-end for the try.

Farrally was pleased with the up-tempo play that he saw from his team compared to their first game of the season.

“We had more flow, and there were less interruptions. We can’t play if the game is stopping and starting constantly. We need to play with lots of energy and pace,” said Farrally.

Next up for the Vikes will be a game on the road. They travel to play the Castaway Wanderers on October 1.